CONCRETE, IT’S INGREDIENTS &

PROPERTIES

Presented by: Engr. Lulu Leyran-Amper

Concrete- composite construction
material
Cement + Coarse Aggregate + Fine Aggregate + Water + Chemical
Admixtures
In its simplest form, concrete is a mixture of paste and aggregates.

The word concrete comes from the Latin word "concretus" (meaning
compact or condensed).

Concrete solidifies and hardens after mixing with water and

placement due to a chemical process known as hydration.

The water reacts with the cement, which bonds the other components
together, eventually creating a robust stone-like material.

Concrete is used more than any other man-made material in the world. As
of 2006, about 7.5 cubic kms of concrete are made each year—more than
one cubic meter for every person on Earth.
Depending on the quality and proportions of the ingredients used
in the mix, the properties of concrete vary almost as widely as
different kinds of stones.
AGGREGATES
Aggregate is the general term applied to those inert or chemically
inactive materials which, when bonded together by cement, form
concrete.
Most of the aggregates used are naturally occurring aggregates
such as crushed rock, gravel and sand.
Artificial and processed aggregates may be broken brick or crushed
air-cooled blast furnace slag.
AGGREGATES
Aggregates, which account for 60 to 75 percent of the total volume of concrete,
are divided into two distinct categories.

Coarse Aggregate
 Aggregate size more than 4.75mm
 Gravels constitute the majority of coarse aggregate used in concrete with
crushed stone making up most of the remainder
Fine Aggregate
 Aggregate size less than 4.75mm
 Fine aggregates generally consist of natural sand or crushed stone with most
particles passing through a sieve.

Aggregate processing consists of crushing, screening, and washing the aggregate

to obtain proper cleanliness and gradation.

Once processed, the aggregates are handled and stored in a way that minimizes
segregation and degradation and prevents contamination.

Aggregates strongly influence concrete's freshly mixed and hardened properties,

mixture proportions, and economy
SUITABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR
AGGREGATES
Aggregate used for concrete construction is required to comply with the norms laid down in
IS: 383-1970 ‘Specification for coarse and fine aggregates from natural sources for concrete’.

Some of the important characters of the aggregates are:

 Strength
 Size
 Particle shape
 Surface texture
 Grading
 Impermeability
 Cleanliness
 Chemical inertness
 Physical and Chemical Stability at high temperatures
 Co-efficient of thermal expansion
 Cost

To summarize, the aggregate should be composed of inert mineral matter, should have high
resistance to attrition, should be clean, free from any adhering coating, dense, durable and
sufficiently strong to enable the full strength of the cement matrix to be developed.
COARSE AGGREGATES
• The material retained on 4.75mm sieve is termed as coarse aggregate.
Natural gravels can be quarried from pits where they have been deposited by
alluvial or glacial action and are normally composed of flint, quartz, schist and
igneous rocks.
• Coarse aggregates are obtained by crushing various types of granites, hard lime
stone and good quality sand stones.
• When very high strength concrete is required, a very fine-grained granite is
perhaps the best aggregate.
Coarse grained rocks make harsh concrete, and need high proportion of sand and
high water/cement ratio to get reasonable degree of workability.
• Hard and closed-grained crystalline lime stones are very suitable for aggregate, is
cheap, but should be used only in plain concrete.
• The bricks should be clean, hard, well-burnt and free from mortar and should not
contain more than half percent of soluble sulphates. It should not be used for
reinforced concrete work, since it is porous and may corrode the reinforcement.
• Blast furnace slag, coal ashes, coke-breeze etc. may also be used as aggregates to
obtain light weight and insulating concrete of low strength.
FINE AGGREGATES
• The material smaller than 4.75mm size is called fine aggregate.
• Natural sands are generally used as fine aggregate.
• Sand may be obtained from pits, river, lake or sea-shore.
• When obtained from pits, it should be washed to free it from clean and silt.
• Sea shore sand may contain chlorides which may cause efflorescence, and may
cause corrosion of reinforcement. Hence it should be thoroughly washed before
use.
• Angular grained sand produces good and strong concrete, because it has good
interlocking property, while round grained particles of sand do not afford such
interlocking.
GRADING OF AGGREGATES
• Grading refers to the determination of the particle-size distribution for aggregate.
• Grading limits and maximum aggregate size are specified because
grading and size affect the amount of aggregate used as well as
cement and water requirements, workability, pumpability, and
durability of concrete.
• In general, if the water-cement ratio is chosen correctly, a wide
range in grading can be used without a major effect on strength.
• When gap-graded aggregate are specified, certain particle sizes of aggregate are
omitted from the size continuum.
• Gap-graded aggregate are used to obtain uniform textures in exposed aggregate
concrete.
• Close control of mix proportions is necessary to avoid segregation.
• The grading of the aggregate has a marked effect on the workability, uniformity,
and finishing qualities of concrete.
WATER
• Water acts as lubricant for the fine and coarse aggregates and acts chemically with
the cement to form the binding paste for the aggregate and reinforcement.
• Water is also used for curing the concrete after it has been cast into the forms.
• Water used for both mixing and curing should be free from injurious amount of
deleterious materials.
• Portable waters are generally considered satisfactory for mixing and curing of
concrete.
• Less water in the cement paste will yield a stronger, more durable concrete; more
water will give an freer-flowing concrete with a higher slump.
• Impure water used to make concrete can cause problems when setting or in
causing premature failure of the structure.
• Hydration involves many different reactions, often occurring at the same time.
• As the reactions proceed, the products of the cement hydration process gradually
bond together the individual sand and gravel particles and other components of
the concrete, to form a solid mass.
WATER - CEMENT RATIO
• Water-Cement ratio is the ratio of volume of water mixed in concrete to volume of cement
used.
• The strength and workability of concrete depend to a great extent on the amount of water
used.
• For a given proportion of the materials, there is an amount of water which gives the greatest
strength.
• Amount of water less than this optimum water decreases the strength and about 10 percent
less may be insufficient to ensure complete setting of cement.
• More, than optimum water increases the workability but decrease the strength. An increase
in 10% above the optimum may decrease the strength approximately by 15% while an
increase in 50% may decrease the strength to one-half.
• The use of an excessive amount of water not only produces low strength but increases
shrinking, and decreases density and durability.
• According to Abram’s Water-Cement Ratio law, lesser the water-cement ratio in a workable
mix, greater will be its strength.
• According to Powers, cement does not combine chemically with more than half the quantity
of water in the mix.
• Water-cement ratio needs to be about 0.25 to complete the hydration reaction.
Typical values of w/c are between 0.35 and 0.40 because they give a good amount of
workability without sacrificing a lot of strength.
ADMIXTURES
• Chemical admixtures are the ingredients in concrete other than portland cement,
water, and aggregate that are added to the mix immediately before or during
mixing.

Producers use admixtures primarily

 To reduce the cost of concrete construction;
 To modify the properties of hardened concrete;
 To ensure the quality of concrete during mixing, transporting, placing, and
curing; and
 To overcome certain emergencies during concrete operations.
• Most admixtures are supplied in ready-to-use liquid form and are added to the
concrete at the plant or at the jobsite.
• Certain admixtures, such as pigments, expansive agents, and pumping aids are
used only in extremely small amounts and are usually batched by hand from
premeasured containers.
• The effectiveness of an admixture depends on several factors including:
 Type and amount of cement,
 Water content,
 Mixing time,
 Slump, and
 Temperatures of the concrete and air.
• Sometimes, effects similar to those achieved through the addition of admixtures
can be achieved by altering the concrete mixture-reducing the water-cement ratio,
adding additional cement, using a different type of cement, or changing the
aggregate and aggregate gradation.
ADMIXTURES
• Five Functions
Admixtures are classed according to function. There are five distinct classes of
chemical admixtures:
air-entraining, water-reducing, retarding, accelerating, and plasticizers (super
plasticizers).

• All other varieties of admixtures fall into the specialty category whose functions
include corrosion inhibition, shrinkage reduction, alkali-silica reactivity reduction,
workability enhancement, bonding, damp proofing, and coloring.

• Air-entraining admixtures, which are used to purposely place microscopic air

bubbles into the concrete, are discussed more fully in "Air-Entrained Concrete.“

• Water-reducing admixtures usually reduce the required water content for a

concrete mixture by about 5 to 10 percent.
• Consequently, concrete containing a water-reducing admixture needs less water to
reach a required slump than untreated concrete.

• The treated concrete can have a lower water-cement ratio. This usually indicates
that a higher strength concrete can be produced without increasing the amount of
cement.

• Recent advancements in admixture technology have led to the development of

mid-range water reducers.

• These admixtures reduce water content by at least 8 percent and tend to be more
stable over a wider range of temperatures. Mid-range water reducers provide
more consistent setting times than standard water reducers.
ADMIXTURES
• Retarding admixtures, which slow the setting rate of concrete, are used to
counteract the accelerating effect of hot weather on concrete setting.
• High temperatures often cause an increased rate of hardening which makes
placing and finishing difficult.
• Retarders keep concrete workable during placement and delay the initial set of
concrete.
• Most retarders also function as water reducers and may entrain some air in
concrete.
• Accelerating admixtures increase the rate of early strength development, reduce
the time required for proper curing and protection, and speed up the start of
finishing operations.
• Accelerating admixtures are especially useful for modifying the properties of
concrete in cold weather.
• Superplasticizers, also known as plasticizers or high-range water reducers (HRWR),
reduce water content by 12 to 30 percent and can be added to concrete with a
low-to-normal slump and water-cement ratio to make high-slump flowing
concrete.
• Flowing concrete is a highly fluid but workable concrete that can be placed with
little or no vibration or compaction.
• The effect of super plasticizers lasts only 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the
brand and dosage rate, and is followed by a rapid loss in workability. As a result of
the slump loss, super plasticizers are usually added to concrete at the jobsite.
ADMIXTURES
• Corrosion-inhibiting admixtures fall into the specialty admixture category and are
used to slow corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete.
• Corrosion inhibitors can be used as a defensive strategy for concrete structures,
such as marine facilities, highway bridges, and parking garages, that will be
exposed to high concentrations of chloride.
• Other specialty admixtures include shrinkage-reducing admixtures and alkali-silica
reactivity inhibitors.
• The shrinkage reducers are used to control drying shrinkage and minimize
cracking, while ASR inhibitors control durability problems associated with alkali-
silica reactivity.
DISINTEGRATION AND DECAY OF CONCRETE

• Use of unsound cement, which due to some delayed chemical

reactions, undergo volume changes after the concrete has
hardened.
• Use of less durable aggregate, which may either react with cement,
or may be reacted upon by atmospheric gases.
• Entry of harmful gases and salts through excessive pores and voids
present in unsound concrete, causing its disintegration.
• Freezing and thawing of water sucked through the cracks or
crevices, by capillary action causing its disintegration.
Expansion and contraction resulting from temperature changes or
alternate wetting drying.
DURABILITY
• The important properties of concrete, which govern the design of a concrete mix
are
 Strength
 Durability
 Workability
 Economy.
• Capable of resisting its disintegration and decay.
• The concrete should be durable with regard to the various weathering conditions
such as action of atmospheric gases, moisture changes, temperature variations.
• For durable concrete, water-cement ratio should be as small as possible to get a
workable mix.
• A well – compacted concrete has less voids and pores and has more durability.
• To entrap innumerable minute air bubble in concrete, Vinsol resin, is sometimes
mixed with concrete.
• To Prevent Vinsol resin reacting chemically with the cement, and to make it soluble
in water, it is first neutralised by the addition of sodium hydroxide.
WORKABILITY
• It is difficult to properly define and measure the ‘workability’ of concrete, despite
its being the most important property.
• In its simplest form, the term ‘workability’ may be defined as the ease with which
concrete may be mixed, handled, transported, placed in position and compacted.
• According to Indian Standards, Workability of concrete is that property of concrete
which determines the amount of internal work necessary to produce full
compaction.
• The greatest single factor affecting the workability is the amount to water in the
mix.
• A workable concrete does not show any bleeding or segregation.
• Bleeding of concrete takes place when excess of water in the mix comes up at the
surface, causing small pores through the mass of the concrete.
• Segregation is caused when coarse aggregate separate out from the finer
materials, resulting in large voids, less durability and less strength.
• Concrete has relatively high compressive strength, but much lower
tensile strength.
For this reason is usually reinforced with materials that are strong in
tension (often steel).
The elasticity of concrete is relatively constant at low stress levels
but starts decreasing at higher stress levels as matrix cracking
develops.
Concrete has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion and
shrinks as it matures.
All concrete structures will crack to some extent, due to shrinkage
and tension.
Concrete that is subjected to long-duration forces is prone to creep.
Tests can be made to ensure the properties of concrete correspond
to specifications for the application
REINFORCEMENT
• Concrete is strong in compression, as the aggregate efficiently carries the
compression load.
• It is weak in tension as the cement holding the aggregate in place can crack,
allowing the structure to fail.
• Reinforced concrete solves these problems by adding either steel reinforcing bars,
steel fibers, glass fiber, or plastic fiber to carry tensile loads. Thereafter the
concrete is reinforced to withstand the tensile loads upon it.
• For a strong, ductile and durable construction the reinforcement
 shall have the following properties:
 High strength
 High tensile strain
 Good bond to the concrete
 Thermal compatibility
REINFORCEMENT
• Steel reinforcement used in reinforced concrete may be of the following types:
(a) 1. Mild steel bars
2. Hot rolled Mild steel deformed bars
(b) 1. Medium tensile steel
2. Hot rolled medium tensile steel deformed bars
(C) 1. Hot rolled high yield strength deformed bars.
2. Cold-worked steel high strength deformed bars.
(d) 1. Hard drawn steel wire fabric
2. Rolled steel made from structural steel
CONCRETING PROCESS
• Concreting Process involves the following
Process

Mixing of Transporting Placing

Concrete Concrete Concrete

Curing Compacting
Concrete Concrete
MIXING
The operation of manufacture of concrete is called ‘mixing’. The mixing can be
done by two methods:

HAND MIXING

• Mixing is done manually on a steel plate,, 2m x 2m in size or on a clean hard

surface.

• This method is resorted to when the quantity of concrete needed for the work is
small.

• Sand and cement in appropriate proportions are mixed first in a dry state.

• The coarse aggregate is then added and the whole mixture is mixed thoroughly
with the help of shovels.

• The predetermined amount of water is then sprinkled over the mix, till the colour
of concrete obtained is homogeneous and workable mix is obtained.
MIXING
• MACHINE MIXING

Concrete should normally be mixed in a mechanical mixer. The main part

of the mixer is a drum in which the ingredients are mixed thoroughly by
mechanically rotating the drum.

The drum is made of steel plates, with a number of blades put in inclined
position in the drum.

As the drum rotates, the materials encounter resistance to rotation from the
blades and this disturbing effects helps in a good mixing of the ingredients.

The mixers are either operated electrically or else are driven by oil engines
attached to them.

Coarse aggregate should be fed first, then sand and lastly cement.
In the revolving state, when the three get thoroughly mixed, water should be
added either with the help of a can or automatically through the pipe attached to
the mixer.

Mixing should be continued until there is a uniform distribution of the materials

and the mass is uniform in colour and consistency, but in no case shall the mixing
be done for less than two minutes.

Concrete mixers may be of two types:

Batch Mixers
Continuous Mixers

Batch type mixers are employed for work of relatively small magnitude.

Batch type mixers can either be of tilting drum type or closed drum type. In the
tilting drum type, drum rotates about a trunnion axis and is so arranged that it is
quiet easy to rotate and tilt it when it is empty as well as when full.

In the close drum type, the drum remains rotating in one direction and is emptied
by means of the hopper which tilts to receive the discharge.

Continuous mixers are used in mass concreting work where a large and continuous
flow of concrete is required.
In these mixtures, processes of feeding, mixing and emptying go on continuously
without break.
TRANSPORTING
• Concrete should be handled from the place of mixing to the place of final deposit
as rapidly as practical by methods which will prevent the segregation or loss of any
of the ingredients.
• If the segregation does occur during transport, the concrete should be remixed
before being placed.
• During hot or cold weather, concrete should be transported in deep containers, on
account of their lower ration of surface area to mass, reduce the rate of loss of
water by evaporating during hot weather and loss of heat during cold weather.
PLACING
• The concrete should be placed and compacted before setting commences and
Should not subsequently be disturbed.

• Method of placing should be such as to preclude segregation.

• Before concrete is placed, it should be ensured that the forms are rigid, in their correct
position, well cleaned and oiled.

• Oiling of these forms will prevent the concrete from sticking to it, and it will then be
easier to remove the forms when they are no longer required.

• Concrete should not be poured into the forms only at one point, but should be
uniformly spread on all the sides for better compaction.

• When the work has to be resumed on a surface which has hardened, such surface
should be roughened.
• It should then be swept clean, thoroughly wetted and covered with a 13mm layer
of mortar composed of cement and sand in the same ratio as the cement and sand
in the concrete mix.

• This 13mm layer of mortar should be freshly mixed and placed immediately before
the placing of the concrete.

• Where the concrete has not fully hardened, all lattance should be removed by
scrubbing the wet surface with wire or bristle brushes, care being taken to avoid
dislodgement of particles of aggregate.
PLACING
• The Surface should be thoroughly wetted and all free water removed.
• The surface should then be coated with neat cement grout.
• The first layer of concrete to be placed on this surface should not exceed 150mm
in thickness, and should be well –rammed against old work, particular attention
being paid to corners and close spots.
COMPACTING
• The removal of entrapped air during production of concrete and the uniform,
dense arrangement of the constituents of concrete are effected during the
compacting of corners.
• The density and consequently, the strength and durability of concrete depend
upon this operation.
• Concrete should be thoroughly compacted during the operation of placing and
thoroughly worked around the reinforcement, around embedded fixtures and into
corners of the form work.
• Concrete is compacted by vibration, during which the vibrator communicates rapid
vibrations of low amplitude to the particles, as a result of which the concrete
becomes fluid, that is to say, its mobility is increased, and the particles, in
movement, under the force of gravity occupy a more stable position, which
volume of concrete is least.
• Vibrators are of three general types:
Internal Vibrators,
External Vibrators,
Surface Vibrators.
• Internal or immersion vibrators consists of a vibrating element enclosed in a casing
which is immersed in fresh concrete and transmit vibrations through the vibrator
body.
• External or form vibrators are fastened to the form work by a clamping device and
transmit vibrations to the concrete through the form.
• In precast members of concrete, the vibrating tables are very helpful. These tables
vibrate the entire mass of concrete uniformly.
COMPACTING
• Surface vibrators, set up on the concrete surface after placing, transmit vibrations
to it through a working platform. They are generally employed in concrete road
construction.
• Mechanical method of compacting the concrete is used only when the mix is stiff.
• Over-vibration or vibration of very wet mixes is harmful and should be avoided.
Alternatively, concrete may be compacted manually by rodding, temping or
hammering.
• Rodding is generally done to compact thin vertical members while temping is done
for compacting concrete for slabs etc.,

CURING

• Curing is one of the most essential operation in which concrete is kept

continuously damp for some days to enable the concrete to gain more strength.
• Curing replenishes the loss of moisture from the concrete due to evaporation,
absorption and heat of reactions.
• The period of curing depends upon atmospheric conditions such as temperature,
humidity and wind velocity.
• The normal period is between 7 and 10 days.
CURING
• There are several methods of curing the concrete, the more
common being the following:

Covering the exposed surface with a layer of sacking, canvas,

hessian or similar absorbant materials, and keeping them
continuously wet.

Thoroughly wetting the surface of concrete, and then keeping it

covered with a layer of suitable water proof material,

Impounding water in earthen or sandy bunds in squares over the

flooring,
Curing with the help of steam or hot water, resulting in rapid
development of strength.
Thank you!!!!!